Massapequa budget presentation flags transportation RFP, rising debt service and proposed savings

The Massapequa Union Free School District's business official, Ryan Ruff, presented the third budget review of the year, telling the board the current plan would produce a 4.7% budget-to-budget increase and a proposed tax-levy increase of 3.9%, which Ruff said remains within New York State's tax-levy limit. "This year's high; two years from now it's going to be a little bit low," Ruff said, describing the spike as the result of one-time borrowing and the timing lag for state building-aid reimbursements tied to the district's 2023 bond program.

Ruff called attention to transportation as a major operating category. The district uses a "wet" transportation contract — in which the district shares fuel costs — to avoid the higher, hedged pricing common to multi-year "dry" contracts, he said. The district's main transportation contract was recoded in the presentation and the current-year total cited was $122.8 million. Ruff noted the existing transportation contract will enter its fifth and final year, requiring a new RFP; the presentation includes a $30,000 allocation for RFP services and a $1,250 advertising line. "We would typically engage with an individual who has about 40 years of experience to assist with the RFP," he said.

Special-education transportation and out-of-district placements account for some large percentage increases at the code level, though Ruff emphasized that re-coding explains part of the movement and the district's overall transportation increase is just under 3%. On benefits, a lower planned Teacher Retirement System rate (8.24% next year versus 9.559% this year) contributed to a projected $1.2 million reduction in that cost center. Health insurance trends remain a monitoring item: Ruff said there are roughly 639 active employees and 766 retirees with district health coverage.

Ruff also outlined adjustments and recommended reductions across many smaller codes — from security equipment and software to outsourcing changes in special education — totaling about $1.487 million in recommended decreases. He said the district aims to increase an annual transfer to capital by $250,000 per year (from $250,000 to $500,000) to rely more on pay-as-you-go funding and less on new borrowing.

Board members questioned how debt service and the levy interact and whether larger transfers to capital could reduce future debt. "Debt service is fixed each year," Ruff said; options include refunding when market rates fall or changing future capital strategies. The district also noted that while bond-funded projects are generating future state building aid (about 50% reimbursement), there is a lag before that money flows.

The board and community also discussed facilities and equity issues: a vendor estimate for permanent, floor-to-ceiling privacy partitions in the high-school locker rooms came in at about $125,000 per locker room. Board members asked whether in-house crews could reduce that cost; staff said that option had not yet been explored.

During public comment, resident Tim Ryan described a successful pilot EKG screening for student athletes conducted with Mount Sinai Hospital (37 hockey players screened, one flagged for follow-up) and outlined plans for a May 16 district-wide screening. Other public commenters raised concerns about literacy instruction alignment with recent New York State guidance and criticized the district's choice of outside counsel for litigation. The board responded that the district's longtime counsel was conflicted out of specific matters, necessitating outside representation.

Ruff said the board will continue budget work in additional scheduled presentations, with outreach to PTAs, staff and the community before the district must present a budget to voters; state aid numbers remain uncertain pending the state budget process.